by Terry Curran

On October 5, the Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation ("SWBCDC") gathered upstairs at the Hyde Park Library to celebrate five years of success and to present its annual community service awards. The winner of the Community Building Award was none other than longtime Roslindale resident Cathy Slade. The evening was hosted by ESPN reporter Michael Smith, whose comments included a brief history of where he had lived, including Roslindale, and how honored he was to be serving as the host. "My schedule is not too busy to meet the people who make the community better," he quipped.

Matt Lawlor, current President of SWBCDC, spoke about the organization's history and the challenges that it faces in the future, particularly in regard to funding. As a non-profit, SWBCDC, like everyone else, is looking for new resources to expand its programs. If, like I was, you are wondering what a CDC is, Matt explains it as follows: "The SWBCDC is a nonprofit organization led by and for residents of the Hyde Park and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston. Our mission is to develop and preserve affordable housing for low- and moderate-income people; preserve existing affordable rental housing; and strengthen the commercial base of the neighborhoods. We work to create vibrant and stable communities, through programs and activities that bring longtime residents and newcomers of all ages and diverse backgrounds together."

John Mahony, the Executive Director, spoke about SWBCD's past accomplishments and its vision for the future. In Roslindale the organization is partnering with Urban Edge CDC to develop Roslindale Field, a new construction project consisting of mixed income condominiums for first-time homebuyers. This development will house twenty-two families, with eleven units set aside for those of more moderate means.

This is a project that Cathy Slade, the director of the Healthy Roslindale Coalition, has been monitoring very closely. She has also been working to organize the residents at the Florence Apartments, which is one of the buildings facing the loss of affordability when its contract expires and its owners have the opportunity to convert to market-rate housing.

Cathy has also been organizing neighborhood safety watches throughout Roslindale for the past ten years, and whenever a problem arises, she is one of the first on the scene to help. When Sr. Nancy Braceland and the nuns moved into Casserly House on Stellman Road, they formed an alliance with Cathy and Healthy Roslindale to reach out to their neighbors in another example of community building. Their joint effort became "Neighbors Together" which has united the Healy Field and the Archdale communities, through clean-ups and other programs (see article on page 12).

Through the Rossie Reps Youth Council, Cathy has brought a diverse group of young people together to build bridges and do community service, first with the Roslindale Congregational Church, and now, with Rev. Karen Peters and the parishioners at the Bethany First United Methodist Church.

Whether she is getting groups of teenagers together for impromptu three-on-three basketball games or assisting RVMS with face painting, Cathy is in the business of building goodwill and good feelings within our community. The SWBCDC hit the mark in awarding her the "Community Building Award" because in the Roslindale community, there is no one more active or more dedicated to building community than she.